Category: Reflections & Lifestyle

One month left of summer vacation for me and I spent the first half working on school related tasks and chores around home. August for me has always been about “getting my shit together.” This list of three goals is quite a mish-mash.

1. Finish home renovations!
   -The new guest room and bathroom need to be completed; the common area downstairs needs to be set up. The basement needs to be cleaned of all the construction clutter. This may be tough since it hinges on other people. I hate being in the middle of renovations; it makes me anxious!
   
2. Finish my summer reading list!
   -I have five books left to finish from my list; somehow I don’t see I’ll have a problem with this one.
   
3. Back to school personal prep!
   -I need to carve out time to go shopping (with my niece) for our back to school clothes and I need to get a haircut –BADLY. I always wait too long and never get an appointment BEFORE school starts and sooner enough it becomes a “Christmas cut.”

We are half way through summer and my goodness has it ever gone fast! Since January I have been setting three small goals to accomplish each month; just because it is summer I didn’t take the month off from my goals; I kept going!

1. Work Life Balance
   *I have gotten so much done this month and I am really proud of myself. I have stuck to the time parameters of when I work but I still feel like all I have done so far this summer is work; which isn’t great.
   
2. One Vacation
   *I spent a couple days in Calgary with a friend, while my husband stayed home to work on home renovations; the guilt was extreme!
   
3. De-Clutter
   *I have made two trips to the dump and I feel like 30 pounds lighter after purging our home of all the stuff we no longer use. I only have two bedrooms, a linen closet and downstairs storage area left to go through!
   
   What about you? How did you make out this month?

School’s out for summer! And I am looking forward to the three Rs; re-prioritize, recharge and re-organize. My goals this month are centered on those principles. Even though its summer, I am continuing to set three monthly goals, which I started doing in January.

1. Work-Life Balance
   I have a lot of work to do this summer to prepare for the upcoming school year; sometimes I literally wake up and sit at my computer working all day and late into the night for days and days on end. That is SO wrong! First of all, it isn’t healthy and second of all, what a crappy way to spend the summer. I have made the goal that I will only work my regular school hours (8:25am-3:04pm) on days in which my husband is not home and whatever I get done over the summer is what I get done and I will have to do it throughout the school year rather than doing it all up front before the year begins. This will be the first year that I haven’t had everything prepared for the upcoming school year, not going to lie, I am a little nervous about that.
   
2. One Vacation
   We have a lot happening at home, so between all the school preparation, home renovation and our schedule in general we don’t have any trips planned. We used to spend most of our summer bouncing around the province camping and fishing. We haven’t done that in YEARS; because life just keeps getting in the way. This month I am going to take a trip, even if it is just a few days away with a friend. I am tired of being the only one at work during the first meeting who says “I did nothing this summer… again.”
   
3. De-Clutter
   This is a throwback to my March goals. I was unsuccessful so I’m trying it again! Time to simplify my life and get my house in order.

What about you? What goals have you set for yourself this month?

So June is over. I don’t know how that happened but it did. Unfortunately, I didn’t really even get started on my “oddball list of goals” until the middle of the month. A family member who had a massive heart attack was convalescing at our home and every routine or hoped to be realized routine went out the window. However, I endeavoured to salvage the month after that.

1. I never got used to the quiet.
   -I didn’t attempt to shy away from my usual habit of having background noise —it fact I embraced it, took solace in it even. A streaming service or cooking show from the Food Network was always going in the background. To some extent to impede tense conversations.
   
2. Weeding the garden was hit and miss.
   -They haven’t really taken hold yet unlike last year but I am on track with it… for now! 
   
3. I had to try really hard to get back into working out.
   -My workout routine fell apart at the end of May because we were traveling to the coast and back and forth to the hospital. And, in general, being so upset tired me out so any extra time I had, I simply wanted to sleep. I was up a few pounds because I stress ate or I ate convenience food. I struggled even to get my suggested zone minutes and the cardiac health gains (as indicated by my FitBit) I made hit a back slide. HOWEVER, I started to turn things around —even if I could do a workout like I planned I tried to limit my stationary time and walked more at work even when I didn’t have supervision. I started jogging for about 10 minutes in the morning before starting the day and I was able to hit my zone minutes and my cardiac health with up one level; one more to go! 

What about you? How did you make out this month?

June is always a bit of a hairy month for teachers; the time we have left to get our long lists accomplished is dwindling and we have only just begun. It kind of makes sense that this month’s goals are going to be a mixed bag.

1. Get used to the quiet
   -I am notorious for having “background noise” (mainly the Food Network or a show I have seen a zillion times on Netflix or Prime or Disney+). I find it tough to go from a noisy classroom to a “pin-drop quiet” house. I’d like to be able to “switch off” the noise.
   
2. Don’t fall behind on weeding
   -I really got behind last spring/summer because it was either pouring down rain and the gardens turned to mud or it was so hot that it was unbearable to be outside for any length of time. This year I changed my layout and there is actually space for the rototiller to get through.
   
3. Workout Regularly
   -I fell off the wagon because my Mom had a massive heart attack and my whole routine went out the window. I have noticed the change in myself since I stopped working out regularly and I’m really frustrated. I also think that this month especially I need the outlet of working out to make it through.

What about you? What goals are you setting for yourself?

I can’t believe how fast May flew by! Just a hop, skip and a jump until the school year is done and summer is officially here! I have been setting three goals each month since the New Year; I focused on physical health and then mental health and then I “made the most of” March. In April, I “Finish[ed] What I Started…” And this month was all about “The Little Things That Make All The Difference.” To keep myself accountable I’m checking in monthly with you all. As a refresher, my goals were…

1. Curb my binge-watching
2. Improving my posture
3. Get new bras

In terms of curbing my binge-watching, I made a list of shows I wanted to watch. Reboot (Disney+) and Wellmania (Netflix). As tempting as it was to binge both series, I watched one episode of ONE show a night. The weather helped me out with this one; it turned really nice so I was able to do more gardening. I think the binge watching may become an issue again in the winter.

In terms of improving my posture, I am going to have to work on this continually. As much as I try to be MINDFUL, I do forget or I get carried away with whatever I am doing BUT I have caught myself saying (internally), “sit up straight!” So I guess that it’s a good sign it’s on my radar at least. I am trying to sit as little as possible at work and at home, however, when I am sitting I avoid crossing my legs, I keep my elbows in and I have given up my favourite spot on the couch for a chair that is much better for my back.

In terms of getting new bras, I bought myself 5 new Remix Lightly Lined Demi bras from La Senza. I have tried other ones, but I keep coming back to these ones. I have to say it feels so nice to have properly fitting bras again!

If you are new to my blog; I have been setting three small goals each month. In January, I focused on my physical health. In February, I focused on my mental health. “I made the most (of what I started)” in March and I tried to “finish what I started” in April. 

May is my “birthday month” so as I head into my 37th year I just want to stop and take a moment to think about what I have accomplished so far and how I have set myself up for another trip around the sun. Ultimately, over the past four months I have been able to make real changes in my life! I am still consistently getting exercise (and have even improved my yoga practice), drinking more water than I normally did in 2022, making smarter choices when it comes to eating. As a result I am down 20 pounds and feeling great. I am still journaling, meditating and reading everyday –those things have become an unconscious practice. I was also able to scratch something off my ‘bucket list,’ give up coffee and develop better sleeping habits. 

The goals for this month don’t have a theme, perhaps they are about the “little things that make a big difference!”

1. Curbing tendency to “binge”
   I struggled with binge eating in my youth and over the years I have noticed that I have an addictive personality; I even took a test –I am in the “moderate to high” category. I have been addicted to food/not eating, to exercise, to hobbies, etc. During the pandemic I binged watched A LOT of shows on Netflix; and then as I got more streaming services; it only got worse. We all joke about “binge watching” but I have lost that ability to “savour” a series. I think restoring a little balance in this respect will help me with balance overall. So I am going to only allow myself to watch ONE episode of a show each night.
   
2. Improve posture
   I chronically slouch; my back and neck are always sore. I do a lot of yoga (lately) and that helps release the tension but once the session is over I am back to slouching. There really isn’t an easy fix for this, it is going to take a lot of conscious attention on my part. I looked up some TIPS.
   
3. Get new bras
   We have all heard that most women are wearing the wrong bra size and that a “good bra” can improve confidence, prevent sagging and other issues. I am the worst when it comes to my bras; I buy them and then wear them until they literally fall apart; and this is NOT hyperbole! I just threw out all my bras; most of which I bought over a year ago and ordered some new ones that actually fit properly!

What goals are you setting this month?

I can’t believe how fast April flew by!  I have been setting three goals each month since the New Year; I focused on physical health and then mental health and then I “made the most of” March. For April, I decided on the theme of “Finishing What I Started…,” because I felt like I was losing a bit of momentum and I was unable to fully accomplish my goals. To keep myself accountable I’m checking in monthly with you all. As a refresher, my goals were…

1. Continue to work through the 113 yoga workouts on the NTC app.
2. Switch to tea.
3. Re-visit my sleep routine. 

How did I do?

In terms of goal #1, I managed to make it through 94 workouts and I am feeling fantastic. Originally, when I set the goal there were 109 workouts and then NTC added 5 more workouts. Technically, I am only doing 113 of 114 because one of them is a handstand prep sequence and I am not comfortable doing that. 19 workouts left!

In terms of goal #2, I set a goal in January about decreasing coffee so this was a throwback to that; although I accomplished that original goal by reducing consumption to one cup a day. But since my tea order arrived I have been starting my day with a cup of tea and to be honest I don’t miss coffee. My skin is looking better and I think the effects have carried over into improving my sleep.

In terms of goal #3, over the course of the month I researched and tried out some small tactics to prevent myself from feeling tired when I woke up. Which included: no reading on my ipad before bed, mint oil on temples, switched up the linens on the bed and my pillow, consistent bedtime and increased the darkness. I definitely think that it will take a bit of time to see the results from this and it will be an ongoing process.

I can’t believe how fast March flew by!  I have been setting three goals each month since the New Year; I focused on physical health and then mental health. For March, I decided on the theme of “Making the Most of…” To keep myself accountable I’m checking in monthly with you all. As a refresher, my goals were…

1. Do all the yoga workouts on my Nike Training Club app
2. Decluttering
3. Having High Tea at the Empress

How did I do?

In terms of the yoga workouts; I wasn’t able to complete all 109 yoga workouts on NTC. One was a handstand tutorial which I wasn’t comfortable doing considering I’ve had neck issues. I did complete 63 and I’m still working through them. I even do the pregnancy ones. I just modify the movements/positions as needed. I ended up combining shorter workouts/routines. So I will have to continue this goal into April. I have been able to continue on with my January and February goals too!

In terms of decluttering; I managed to do one space. Which is still good! This may sound like an excuse but normally I do a hard core decluttering in the summer… It is easier to pile up donated stuff in the garage or porch when there isn’t a ton of snow on the ground and very cold temps. Doing a declutter in the summer means I have more time to make donation runs or go to the dump with truly worn out things. I think this is a great goal but it was scheduled poorly. Three other factors that interfered were that I also got really into a new book series and I spent a lot of time with friends; birthday parties, going to the theater twice and shopping. And teaching in March is a bit of a nightmare… I definitely needed to set a goal that was more in line with restoration of energy rather than another hard arduous task.

In terms of my third goal; High Tea was amazing! so I successfully accomplished that goal! We also said YES to a lot of other fun activities: food & drink tour of Victoria, forever jewelry and so much more!